Chris Kreider netted his 50th goal of the Rangers' resurgent season on Tuesday night, but the 10-year veteran wasn't too interested in discussing the accomplishment following New York's tough 4-2 loss to the Hurricanes.
"Something we can probably talk about another day, but it's hard after a game like that," Kreider said. "It would mean a lot more if we found a way to win that game. I think it's something that I'll appreciate, but it's hard to appreciate right now."
A win would have pulled the Blueshirts even with Carolina atop the Metropolitan Division, and Kreider's 50th, with the goalie pulled in the final two minutes of play, drew the Rangers closer to keeping that a reality, but the Hurricanes spoiled Kreider's accomplishment of becoming just the fourth player in franchise history to reach 50 goals in a season.
With eight games to go, Kreider has a shot at surpassing Jaromir Jagr's 54 goals during the 2005-06 campaign, which stands as the most in Rangers history. Of course, Kreider doesn't have much interest in that, nor did he ever have much interest in reaching 50 goals when he was growing up with dreams of playing in the NHL.
"I thought about raising the Stanley Cup," Kreider said. "I had a few posters on my wall going up. I had a Joe Thornton poster from when he played for the Bruins that said 'Speed Kills,' which is kind of ironic, and I had a Stanley Cup on my wall.
"I remember watching Ray Bourque win with Colorado. I remember watching the playoffs and wanted to win a Stanley Cup. That's what we all want to do someday. That's the ultimate goal, and none of us will be happy until we get there."
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